Food Standards Agency
Thursday 2 July 2009
Safe food and healthy eating for all banner welsh
AZ-Directory
What's NewRSS
What is RSS?Listen
Listen to this siteFriday 10 May 2002
A practical guide aimed at meeting consumer demand for healthier options when eating out will be launched by the Food Standards Agency Wales at Llandrillo College, Colwyn Bay next week (17 May).
FSA Board Member, professional chef and NVQ assessor Robert Rees will be lending his support on the day for Catering for Health, an initiative that aims to promote caterers’ increasingly important role in improving consumer access to a balanced diet. Catering for Health is also supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, which recognises the importance of diet and nutrition in improving the overall health of people living in Wales.
Eating out is no longer an occasional luxury for many consumers. The catering industry currently supplies each person in Britain with an average of three meals a week. Yet a recent national food survey showed that food eaten out often has a higher percentage of fat and saturated fat than food eaten in the home.
Catering for Health aims to highlight the potential for providing healthier food choices and taking advantage of an increasingly relevant marketing opportunity. The guide sets out the fundamental principles of nutrition and healthier food preparation to help chefs, those training for jobs within the trade, lecturers and tutors to plan menus, select ingredients, prepare and serve food within a wide range of environments.
The launch of Wales’ Catering for Health follows a successful and similar initiative in England last year. The guide was created by the British Nutrition Foundation and has been updated and reviewed for Wales by a panel of leading food experts, representatives from the Welsh Assembly Government and the FSA's Advisory Committee for Wales. The result is a practical resource for use in a wide range of environments – from colleges to restaurants, pubs and takeaways to the work restaurant or school canteen.
Robert Rees is looking forward to the launch of FSA Wales’ Catering for Health and will give a practical cooking demonstration of healthier food options on the day. Mr Rees said:
'A healthy, balanced diet is a vital factor in reducing coronary heart disease. Nowadays, food eaten outside the home plays an important part in many people’s daily food intake. Caterers can therefore have a significant influence on the nutritional quality of our diets.
'By further building basic nutrition guidelines into NVQ catering courses, we will be better equipping the caterers of tomorrow to produce food that is enjoyable to eat and good for you.'
FSA Wales Director Joy Whinney added: 'Catering for Health sets out the fundamental principles of nutrition in a practical and relevant format. I am confident that this guide will be a great help to chefs and would-be chefs, enabling them to put healthy food on their menus and meet consumer demand for healthier options.'
Due to the size of the lecture theatre, attendance at Catering for Health is by prior registration only. Chefs, catering lecturers and students are very welcome to attend by contacting Susan Court, Health Leadership Wales on 01656 753408 or by sending an e-mail to scourt@staffcollegewales.org.uk Tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis.
News contact: Kathryn Corcoran (029) 20 678915
Back to topThe Food Standards Agency was set up in April 2000 and its Welsh Executive is accountable both to Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales. The UK-wide Agency has offices in London, Cardiff, Aberdeen and Belfast.
The FSA will protect the interest of consumers by protecting three core values. It will:
Its functions are to:
11th Floor, Southgate House,
Wood Street,
Cardiff CF10 1EW
Telephone: 02920 678916
Fax: 02920 678918/9
Email:
caroline.kitson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Find out what our other sites have to offer